


Runnin' for Cover

by ShadowDarkRose (ShadowDarkFlower)



Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fic will be somewhat dark, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mutant!Spencer, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Torture, Team as Family, Torture, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 14:50:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4309386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowDarkFlower/pseuds/ShadowDarkRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Sentinel program was booted up it found that one of the key members of the BAU was a mutant. Now dismantled, the team has been in hiding as the world falls into chaos. In one last effort to find help they head north. Will they find people to trust? Will they finally be able to fight back instead of running for cover?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runnin' for Cover

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll! I've read a couple of stories with this crossover and figured I'd try my hand at it. Let me know what ya think!  
> The rating is Mature because it will eventually have torture and other things in it. I'll let you know chapter by chapter.  
> All mistakes are my own. Please remember to review!  
> Hope ya'll enjoy:)

When all the rumors started no one thought it would actually happen, least of all me. I mean, come on, robots that detect the "live" x-gene and can adapt to any environment and power? That's absurd right? We all thought so. So we continued on with our lives without a second thought to it. Until information started coming out that it was actually true and being built secretly by the government. That's when I started becoming concerned, for myself and others like me. It was rare to be a mutant and a Fed. Working in the Bureau while having the mutation I do had been hard, but well worth it in my opinion. Helping people was my "calling" so to speak. I've never believed in destinies or God and yet it seemed like that was the place I was supposed to be at.

Now though, I'm not sure whether to regret it or appreciate the time I had. Being in that job is what found me out and destroyed my team in the process. I'd tried to protect them, but there was really nothing I could do. I was found out and because they knew and didn't say they were kicked out as well. Luckily we were some of the ones found before the Sentinels, as the robots were called, turned violent. Others weren't so lucky and were tortured and killed. Some even taken back to labs and experimented on like animals. When this started happening we ran and hid, knowing that soon we would be hunted down the same way. I tried to get everyone to leave and move onto live normally, but like the stubborn people they are they stayed with me. I'm so grateful and resentful of that fact. They were my family and I only wanted them to be safe. Jack and Henry were still so young...They should have friends and a stable life, not this running for cover 24/7. But...they seemed happy to be with me and I couldn't bring myself to just leave them behind. They were all I had and I couldn't make myself give them up. Maybe that was selfish of me, but for one time in my life I was going to be selfish.

It's been three years since everything first and a lot has happened. We've made friends and lost some but thankfully the team has been able to stay together and stay alive. Another thing to be thankful for.

But now it looks like our luck might have run out.

###

"They're coming." Hotch's words echoed through the stale air of the tunnel they were hiding in.

Everyone froze until the words sank in and it was like a bomb went off cause suddenly everyone was moving. Essentials were shoved into bags, kids bundled sleepily into parents' arms, maps rolled and stored away. When they were done it was like they were never even there.

This was normal to them. What used to be calls in the night on an awaiting case was now calls of incoming Sentinels. It had become a routine after all this time. There were no "Wheels up in thirty" it was wheels up now. The one time they'd even slowed a little because they thought they had had the time had been the first and the only time that had happened. The injuries had been numerous but no deaths, though a few should have ended like that. They hadn't known then that the Sentinels had been upgraded. They hadn't known that they now moved faster than before. They learned about that fact the hard way.

Within a minute and a half everything was packed and ready to go. They hurried out of their hiding spot and across what was now pretty much a ghost town. Unless you considered the handful of civilians that lived on the outskirts. They knew none of those people would help them, as most of the population in the world was turned against mutants. Plus, they didn't want to risk something happening to the people that would help them. They'd heard about what the Sentinels would do to them.

With no access to a TV, the little portable solar radio they carried was their only link to what was happening in the world around them. Everyday, the news became more horrific. When it wasn't Sentinels or government agents hunting mutants down it was next door neighbors and co-workers, and in some cases, even family. Through the radio they heard the riots and murders that happened in the streets. They heard the tales of mutant children being raped and murdered by their fathers and brothers just because they were different. And they heard the government they used to work for condone it all.

Through it all they held together. After seeing first hand what human kind could do on a good day through their jobs, they didn't need to see what humans could do on a bad day. For this reason they were thankful to not be called out to those scenes anymore. and it only made them stronger. The bond they shared before this grew in the adversity surrounding them. Never once did any of them think of betraying their own. Life might be hard but to them, they had all that mattered.

The group stepped through the remains of what used to be a local bakery. The windows and half the front wall was missing, most likely from a Sentinel shot. They picked their way through to the kitchen. There, they split up into two groups and scoured the place. Once they had gathered all the edible food they could find they continued their way north.

They had one destination in mind. They had no clue if it was still in commission but at this point they had no other options. Not if they wanted a chance to survive.

It was another hour before they stopped in a small alcove in the woods. The need to keep moving warred with the exhaustion weighing down on them. Backpacks were set down and food pulled out, two people on watch while everyone ate a quick bite.

The last couple of days had been hard, as it seemed that as soon as they settled for a quick reprieve they had to move again. Nights turned into days and back again with still no rest to be found. Everyone was faltering under the strenuous circumstances. Nothing was as it seemed, they'd learned that, which was why there was a constant guard. But years of too little sleep, constant suspicion and anxiousness was now weighing on them heavily.

"Reid." Spencer's mind was pulled from his exhausted musings at the voice of his former unit chief. He blearily blinked his eyes to clear them and focus back on the task at hand. Once somewhat sure he could see clearly, he looked up from his seat on a large rock. Kind eyes met his steadily, even though they were just as tired as his own.

"We need to continue on. You okay?" To be honest, Spencer didn't know how to answer that. Nothing was fine, but at the same time it was. They were all alive and uninjured and considering everything, that was he gave a brief nod in answer before slowly standing, his muscles not quite cooperating with his mind. A steady hand reached out to help him and he smiled gratefully. Hotch gave his arm a quick squeeze before pulling away. The duo headed back to the rest of the group, the lot of them heading back out on their trek. Henry came up on Spencer's right side, clasping his hand in his own small one.

Spencer gave Henry a small quirk of a smile. His Godson never ceased to amaze him with his ability to lift everyone's spirits, no matter the situation. Sometimes he thought about what if Henry was a mutant and hoped with everything he had it wasn't true. He didn't want the small, innocent child to suffer the ridicule and persecution that came with being one these days. He still held out a small hope that one day things would be better and that Henry and Jack could live a nice, normal life. He hoped that for all his family. He'd given up any hope of leading a life that wasn't filled with constantly looking over his shoulder. Even before the Sentinels and being found out as a mutant he was always looking and expecting for someone to find out his secret and turn him in. Being bullied like he was as a kid made him that way. He had just been getting comfortable enough to start lowering his guard and actually feel safe when the shit hit the fan. Luckily he hadn't yet as his suspicious nature helped him come up with a quick backup plan.

The crack of a tree branch off to the left of the group had everyone's hackles rising. Spencer shoved Henry behind him and scanned the surrounding area with a keen and careful eye. He could sense everyone behind him doing the same, hearing the minute shifts of feet on dead leaves and grass. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Morgan suddenly slump and was about to call out a warning, his fear for his friends rising when Morgan turned and silently pointed. Spencer shifted slightly, still keeping Henry covered, and craned his head to see what had created that noise. An almost hysterical laugh bubbled up but he clamped down on it before it escaped, a hand clasped tightly over his mouth.

A deer stood about twenty feet away from them, it's beady eyes watching them suspiciously before bounding off in the opposite direction, obviously in a hurry to get away. A collective sigh of relief and a few chuckles rose from the team. They'd all been expecting the worst.

The feeling of relief gave them all a sense of euphoria, so much so that they didn't expect the attack waiting for them. It wasn't until reached out to push the branch in front of him out of everyone's way that images and feelings of panic and fear overwhelmed his senses, causing him to double over. He choked in enough air to call out to everyone.

"Run!" No one questioned the order and everyone turned and sprinted off in the other direction just as a group of government soldiers crashed through the overgrown underbrush, their guns and lasers trained in their direction.

Spencer scooped Henry up in his arms and took off after the others, a hand thrown back to pull up a shield between him and the soldiers to stop them from advancing on them further. Bullets glanced off the almost shimmering shield but didn't break through. Thank heavens.

Spencer passed Henry off to Will when they were far enough to be out of sight and gun range. His mind was still aching from the bombardment unwanted and unexpected images and feelings. He doubled over, hands grasping his knees as he gagged and fought to gain control of his breathing. A large, dark hand grabbed his shoulder and the deep, warm timbre of his best friend's voice echoed comforting words through his ears. After a few more moments he calmed down and regained enough sense of balance to start moving again. They weren't safe yet.

He hated his power. Having clairvoyance was like getting streamed videos of all the bad outcomes of a situation right into his brain, never to be forgotten. The shields he could control were nice though.

Thankfully, his clairvoyance only extended out to the people he cared about. He didn't see all the horror that other people were going through. He didn't think he could handle having to see al that and probably would have killed himself long ago.

When he was younger, all he saw in his "visions", as they were dubbed, was his Mom. He saw when she was going to attempt to kill herself or do something that could potentially have harmed her.

Unfortunately, his clairvoyance didn't help him at all, only the people he cared about. He never saw in advance all the bullying he'd end up going through, or the injuries from his Mom in one of her episodes, or the almost molestation by the man his Mom killed. To be honest, that probably didn't help his low self-preservation instinct. To this day he still couldn't find a way to see ahead and keep himself out of trouble. And by God did it drive his friends nuts when he always ended up with some injury or another.

Another bad thing about the clairvoyance was the excruciating migraines that came with the visions. It used to be that when they were on a case Morgan, Prentiss or JJ would sneak him back to the hotel for some painkillers and rest when he had one. They didn't have that luxury anymore.

The team's trek through the woods was arduous and long. By midafternoon the heat from the summer sun was frying them, along with the extra clothes and bags they were carrying. Jack and Henry were being carried by their fathers, their little heads draped exhaustedly across shoulders. They needed to stop before the all collapsed. Spencer desperately looked around for a safe place to take a break. A clearing with a bunch of large boulders came into view and he and Morgan directed everyone there. He almost cried in happiness as the sound of rushing water reached his ears. He'd never heard a more beautiful sound.

While everyone settled in for a break Spencer and Morgan went to fetch some fresh water, bringing along all the cups and water containers they had. It wasn't often they found something like this and were going to take advantage of it for as long as they could.

When they reached the creek Spencer reached down and splashed some cold, refreshing spring water onto his face. He would jump in if he had the time.

While they filled up the water containers Morgan companionably bumped his shoulder with Reid. Ever since the whole running thing started they'd been going and going, running and running, and he knew it was weighing on everyone. Gone were the special days where they could get a brief reprieve; it was now move or die and he hadn't really had a chance to really check on his friend. He was regretting that he hadn't made the time now. Dark circles framed his friends sunken, dull eyes, his skin even paler than it had been before. Hid naturally slight body was even more so now due to the lack of proper nutrition. Reid didn't look like himself anymore. Morgan reached out and gently turned the younger man towards him.

"Reid, are you alright?" Spencer didn't want to answer that. He could give some quip about how nothing was alright and how that was a stupid question but he didn't because he knew Morgan was being completely serious and wanted a straight answer.

He'd been feeling bad before, they all were, but ever since his vision earlier it was like all his internal shields were down and he didn't know what to do. He knew he could tell Morgan and he wouldn't be judged as being weak, but he didn't. He needed to come across as put together and strong if he was going to get them all to survive.

"I'm fine, Derek. I'm not any more worse off than everyone else. My headache from earlier even went away." That wasn't quite the truth, not that Morgan needed to know that. It had reduced to a severe headache instead of a head splitting migraine so that was something.

The look on Derek's face suggested he didn't believe him for a second, but he nodded and dropped the subject. For now. Derek wasn't one to just let things drop, especially if it affected the people he cared about. Then he became intolerable with his pestering until you gave in. And with Spencer being deliberately quiet about it...That's gonna cause a lot of pestering. And now he's just going to bring in everyone else on it. Fan-freaking-tastic.

The duo made the trip back to everyone in silence. Despite Spencer being deliberately evasive about his health, it was still a comfortable silence that came through knowing each other as well as you knew yourself. Living through the good and the hell life threw at them for all these years helped that. They had had each others backs before, and that hadn't changed.

The cold, sweet spring water brought moans of appreciation from everyone. The water was downed and it's freshness gave everybody a sort of second wind. Thankfully by Spencer's calculations they were almost at their destination. Hopefully they wouldn't be disappointed.

The trek continued with the now awake Jack and Henry running quietly in between everyone's feet, grinning from ear to ear. They didn't understand the whole reason why they couldn't be loud and use their outside voices like the "normal" kids they'd seen but they knew if they did someone could get hurt, and that was enough for them hear.

Spencer hated that the kids were forced into silence. While he wasn't at that age, he knew that most kids their age were loud and excited, not nearly in complete silence. Then again, Garcia wasn't a quiet person by nature and she'd adapted to fit the situation they were in. But every one of them seemed to understand that it was important to be that way. Maybe he wasn't ruining them for life after all. As if she could sense his low thoughts, Emily linked arms with him for the next little bit of the hike, bringing a smile to his face despite his musings. His friends always seemed to know exactly what he needed.

The hike continued for the next while, the sun slowly setting their only guide to the time. A small break was conducted to eat some of the provisions before the moved on. They all wanted to stop, but the thought that they were almost there spurred them on.

It was after dark when the woods they were travelling in emptied out into what used to be a beautiful and spacious back yard. The shrubs and bushes that used to be tenderly pruned and cared for now grew in every direction. The flower gardens were overgrown with weeds and all the buildings besides the main house that were scattered across the yard were falling into disrepair. The looks didn't give them the safe feeling they were hoping it would.

The team headed across the open space slowly, keeping an eye and ear out for trouble, human or robotic. They did a quick scan of all the buildings they came across, hoping to find signs of life. Disappointment filled them when none was found.

Once everywhere else was cleared they headed to the main house, which they'd saved for last. Their footsteps cackled in the dead grass that led to the front porch. The back door had been locked and sealed shut, the same with the side door. They hoped that the front door wouldn't be the same way, otherwise they made the entire hike for nothing.

Rossi was the first to reach the steps with Spencer bringing up the rear. He would be the best shot at protecting them if someone were to try and sneak up on them.

There were a couple of whoops or joy at finding the door unlocked. Everyone but Hotch and Reid piled in and calling for anyone who might be there. The two outside were giving a careful scan of the property for the enemy. Hotch, apparently satisfied that nothing was there, went to walk through the door but hesitated when he realized Reid wasn't coming.

There was no sign that the enemy was lurking about anywhere, but Spencer couldn't shake the feeling that there were eyes following their every move since they'd arrived. Maybe it was just the paranoia talking, but maybe he was right. He couldn't take that chance. So after a quick word with Hotch, Reid headed out on a solitary exploration of the property.

His former boss had offered to go with him, but he'd declined the offer. He knew everyone would be safer inside the house if he did come across trouble. But so far he hadn't seen anything; physically or in visions. That actually comforted him a little.

After finding nothing and the relief that came with that, he headed back to the main house. Under the moonlight the place had an eerie haunted house feel to it. It reminded him of the horror movies he and Morgan used to go see (Garcia occasionally coming along) or the many cases they had in which the Unsubs hid their victims in old, dilapidated buildings. It was kind of sad that that thought brought him some comfort. Upon arriving back at the front door again he gave a silent chuckle at seeing his friend still standing there waiting for him. Giving the older man's arm a quick squeeze of appreciation, they headed into the Mansion to find everyone else. A sign by the door caught Reid's eye, as the words were unmistakable.

Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

**Author's Note:**

> So...what do ya think?


End file.
